Grain-door for cars.



Patented pir.V 2, 1918.

3 SHEETSf-SHEET l.

J. E DNIAN. GRAIN DOOR` FOR GARS. APPLICATION FILED IuIYzs. 1912.

` Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

IIIIIUI "Mya I r y V l -J.-EDMAN. GRAN D005` FOR CARS. APPLICATION FILED JULY-25. l9l2.

\ Patented Apri 2,1918.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- J'OEIN EDMAN, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASVSIGNOR, .BY DIRECT AND `MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO EDMAN CAR DOOR`COMPANY, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A

CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

GRAIN-noon Feit cAns.

a Doors for Cars; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has for its object to pro- -vide an improved side door for cars, capable of use as a grain door and for other purposes, and by the use of which, the customary outside door is made unnecessary.

Particularly, the invention is in the nature of an improvement of that type of car door disclosed and claimed 'in my prior Patents, 865,775, of date, June 11, 1907, 884,011, 0f April 7, 1908, and 901,959, of date,.0ctober 27,1908.

Generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and dened in the claims. Particularly, the invention is directed to the modiiication or improvementon thel door above noted; whereby the door is adapted to be swung outside of the car and then slid along the exterior of the car, out of line with the door opening which it is adapted to close. The invention, however, also, involves other important features of novelty.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views. Referring to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation with some parts broken away, showing the improved door applied to one of the side door openings of an ordinary box car;

Fig. 2 is a `transverse vertical section taken approximately on the line 'm2 :v2 on Fig. 1, some parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a horizontalsection taken on the irregular line ma fais-on VFig..4, some parts being broken away; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken approxi-- mately on the irregular line mim* on Fig. 2, some parts being broken away.

The numeral 1 indicates an ordinary box car body having at its sidesl the usual door openings formed between posts 2. Rigidly y Speeication of Letters Patent. Appiiation mea my 25, l1912. s'eriai no. 711,497.

Patented apr. a, 19187.

secured on the opposing faces of the posts 2 are vertically extended stop strips 3 that are preferably extended from bottom to the tops of said posts. Y

rlhe main door 4, which is preferably a sheetI metal structure properly reinforced vand stiifened, is made of a size to -ft within the door opening, lbut at its upper central portion 1t is cut away and therein provided wlth two supplemental door sections v5 and 6. The supplemental door section 5 is,

at its lower edge, connected to the main door4 by hinges 7, so that it is-adapted to be turned downward against the inner .face of the said door. The supplemental door 6, however, is adapted to be moved upward and entirely separated from the main door, and for such purpose it is provided with long trunnions 8 that project beyond the edges thereof, and at their ends are equipped with anti-friction rollers 9 that work in curved guideways 10, rigidly secured to the inner faces ofthe door posts 2 and to the roof structure of the car. Preferably, and as shown, the guideways 10 are formed with extensions or lateral projections of the stop strips 3. The lower edge of the supplemental door 6 is provided with depending joint strips 11 that are adapted to overlap the upper edge of the supplemental door 5, as shown in Fig.4 2, thus forming a grain tight'joint therewith. Secured on top ofthe door frame and extending across the door opening, is a joint strip 12 against which the upper edge of the supplemental door 6 and the upper ends of the bifurcated `numeral 13 indicates hand pieces which are preferably applied to the lower portion of the main door 4. Located on the outside of the car and extended over the doorway, and

for a distance greater than the width of the doorway at one sideof said doorway, is an oscillatory track bar or rail 14 having trunnions 14L at its ends, journaled in bearings 15 secured on the upper portion of the side of the car. The alined axes' of these trunnions are located considerably outward of the sides of the car, so asto permit the car door to be dropped into a positionV shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, all as will hereinafter -more fully appear.

of the track bars 14 and, as shown, are secured at their projecting lower ends to a hanger bar 18, towhich the upper ends of a pair of h anger links 19 are rigidly secured.

i The lower ends of these hanger links 19 are,

as shown, laterally bent and pivotallv mounted in hinge lugs 20, shown as secured on the sides of the bifurcated upper-portion of the main door 4. In Fig.` 2, the oblique position of the hanger llinks 19 when the door is in operative position, is indicated by v full lines, and the vertical position thereof, when the door is swung outward into inoperative position, is indicated by dotted' lines.

For securing the door in a closed or operative position, I employ so-called lock blades 21 located, one at each side of the door opening, and provided at their upper'vl and lower ends with trunnions 22, seated in suitable bearings 23 secured to the adjacent door posts 3. The trunnions 22 are so located that when the lock blades 21 are i end of a lock bracket or block 2 5`that is turned outward, thedoor 4 may swing laterally .outward between ,the same. When, however, the lock blades 21 are turned t0- ward each other, they overlap the `edges of the door 4 and hold thel sameseated against the stop'istrips 3. The-flock blades 21 are..`

adapted to beheld inl operativepositions by lock bars 24 pivoted at their outer ends to the lsaidblfades 21, and'at their free ends engageable with the laterally offset upper' vrigidly secured to the central portion ofhthe y door 4. When the free ends of the lock `ars 24 are interlokedwith the said bracke'` 25,

as shown in Fig. 1, ,the lock blades 21 vare held. against outward swinging movements and are thereby caused to positively holdI .disengaged from the bracket'25'by directly c the door 4 in its operative or closed position. The free-'ends of the lock bars'24'may be adapted to be moved upward to simultanel@lli ously release the said lockba'rs. Intermedlately pivoted to the central portion of the door-4 at 27 is a lock lever 28, which, at its lower end is provided with a flanged head 29 which, when turned downward,'overlaps the free ends of the lock bars 24 and positively holds the same intcrlocked to the bracket 25. The lower end of th'is lock lever 28 is provided with a vertically movable lock bolt 30 adapted to be held by gravity, engaged through a perforation in the flanged upper end of the bracket25, to thereby positively hold the lock lever 28 in an operative position shown in Fig. 1. This lock bolt 30 is provided with a linger piece 31 by means of which it may be vertically moved, and its depending lower end will preferably be slotted so that the car seal may be applied thereto; At its upper end, the lock lever 28 is provided with a hook 32 that is adapted to be interlocked to a lug 33 on the lower edge of the supplemental door 6, to thereby lock the said door 6in an operative position. Thus it will be seen that' primarily, the lock bolts 30 lock the lever 28 in an operative position; that the lock .lever 28 locks the supplemental door 6. and the lock bars 24 in operative positions; that the. Alock bars 24 secure the look blades 21 in o erative posi,-`

tions; and finally, that the sai blades 21 se i cure the main door' 4 in .itsdoperative or i closed position. Hence, a seal being applied to the lower end of the bolt 30 prevents all of the said parts from bein moved from their operative positions wit out breaking the seal. The numeral 34 (see Fig. l) ,indicates a stop upon which the upperend portion of theI lever 2.8 will rest when the said lever is turned into an approximately horizontal inoperative position.

To throwthe main door with-its supplemental section 5 into `an inoperative out,`

wardly movable position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, 1t is only necessary to takehold of one or both of the hand'pieces. 13

and to pull the lower end of the main door 4 outward so that it will clear the doorsill. This being done, the door will .swing by gravity into the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and it may then be slid along the outer side 'of the car to a position inleave's the doorway entirely open.

To 'replace the door,l .the upper edge is forced laterally inward and the hanger links loweredge of the said door is forced over the door sill into operative position. Then dicated by dotted lines in Fig; 1', where it the door should be locked by means of the lock blades 21 and coperatingdevices, all as beforefully described.`

I also provide means `whereby a person y standingon the ground at one yside of the car may easily cause a movement of the supplementaldoor to and from operative posiff., .i i. tion. Thls device, as shown, comprises "af vertical shaft 35 mounted in suitable'bearings on the side of the car` adjacent to one of roof structure and to which, as shown, the y upper ends of the` guide channels are attachef The other end of this chain 38 is attached to the'upper portion of the supplemental door 6. When the lever 36 is moved into one eXtreme position, Ithe supplemental door 6 has been caused to run upward on the guide .channels 10 into an in- .operative position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and when the said lever 36 is moved into itsother eXtreme position, the said supplemental door will run by gravity into an operative position.

" Obviously, the main door 4 and its supplemental hinge section 5 may be secured in operative or closed position while the supplemental door 6 in an inoperativeposition, thereby leavlng an opening through thedoorway through which grain, coal, or

other materials may be loaded into the car.

through a spout, or otherwise. When the y supplemental door 6 is also closed, the entire doorway 'is completely andtightly closed. This improved door, as is evident, serves all of the functions performed by the ordinarylside door and by a grain door, and has in fact, a greater range of utility than the said othertwo doors combined. It is adapted to be very easily and quickly operated and is very strong and durable.

What I claim is: 1. The combination with a car body havllng a side door opening, of a main door yfor said door opening, means supporting said 'main door for lateral swinging and endwise slidmg movements to and from operative position, means for securing said main door 1n an operative position in said door open- 1ng,.` a supplemental door, said main door having an o ening extending from its upper edge, the si es of which are engaged by said supplemental door, and curved guides for said supplemental door lextending upward to the roof structure of the carbody.

2. The combination with a car body, havinga side door opening, of a track extended alon` the outer side of the car body above the oor opening and toone side of the door opening, and having at its ends supporting pivots located above its track surface, whereby it is mounted to freely swin'glaterally and tends to assume a downward' position, a door adapted to open and close said door opening, and a door hanger mounted to travel on said track and to partake of common oscillatory movements therewith, said door hanger having dependngportions pivotally connected to said door and arranged to support the same in an open.positio'n at one side of the car, free for'traveling movements therewith to and from alinement with said door opening.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of-two witnesses.

JoHN EDMAN. t 

